Western,Horror
United States of America
High Plains Drifter is a 1973 American Western film directed by and starring Clint Eastwood. The film opens with a mysterious stranger arriving in the small town of Lago, which is under the tyrannical control of a group of outlaws. The stranger quickly proves himself to be an accomplished gunslinger, dispatching several gunmen who try to kill him.
The townspeople, cowed and powerless against the outlaws, turn to the stranger for help. They offer him the job of protecting the town from the arrival of three outlaws who are on their way to seek revenge against the town for a crime committed against their leader.
The stranger accepts the job but begins to reveal a darker side to his personality as he sets about preparing the town for the impending attack. He paints the entire town red and gives it a new name, "Hell," and proceeds to seduce the town's leading women, causing a rift among the townspeople.
As the outlaws arrive, the stranger leads the defense of the town and fights the outlaws in a brutal and bloody conflict. In the end, he emerges victorious but reveals to the townspeople that he is actually a vengeful spirit come to exact retribution for a past wrong committed against him.
High Plains Drifter has been praised for its starkly dark tone and Eastwood's performance as the enigmatic stranger. It has also been noted for its themes of revenge, redemption, and the tenuous nature of power and control.
